The Legend of Zelda:  Hero's Blood
by FaithoftheAir
Summary: Goblins rue at every turn, just to see the Great Master's Return.  Blood of the Hero and the Goddesses' Tears will bring the country the worst of Fears.  And all that seemed good and well, all changed when the Hero's Blood fell.  Rated T to be very safe.
1. Dark Dreams and Malicious Plans

**This started as a random fic, and turned epic. I have quite a bit of it written that i haven't posted yet, so keep reading, I'm just doing the cliffhangers for the heck of it. :P bask in my jerkiness. yes i realize that the beginning is made of cheese. get over it, it started as a zelink fic :P. Anyways, enjoy! ^^**

I couldn't sleep all night, there was too much to think about. It had been one year exactly since the defeat of Ganondorf. At this exact moment one year ago, I stood against the King of Evil himself. I winced at the memories as I sat and stared at the ceiling from my bed. At the time I was only seventeen and yet still managed to kill him, be declared a war hero, become knighted, and earn a place at Hyrule Castle; though the feat was not without its negative aspects.

My eyes instinctively moved to my right shoulder as I remembered, still thankful it wasn't my left. The Evil King nearly cut off my arm and it still didn't move quite right, however it still functions perfectly as a shield arm. I moved my left hand to it and flinched. The spot was still tender, and this wasn't surprising to me. The doctor did say it wouldn't heal anywhere near quickly, and the scar would be there my entire life. _Heh, some hero, eh? I can barley lift my arm over my head_. I chuckled at the thought. I instinctively tried to do so and surprisingly almost have my hand move eight inches over my head before I had to retract it back due to pain. _Further then last time. That's good, right?_ I sighed. _Who am I kidding; how am I supposed to protect Hyrule like this? How am I supposed to protect _her_ like this?_

I got up from my bed, seeing as I could not seem to stay still inside it; I saw no point in staying there. I strode over to the wall where a cloak hung and threw it pointlessly over my shoulders, then tossed on my deerskin boots. I walked out to the small terrace outside my room, staring at the moonless sky and feeling the winter air. It was darker than usual, however I had no complaints. New Moons usually make for perfect stargazing. It seemed that all the lights in the heavens shone brighter with each passing moment. As I began to lose myself in their splendor, I looked over to the side to find a more glorious beauty.

Ah, it's her. The woman whom had held my heart since the moment I set mine eyes upon her. Her hair was that of a shining liquid bronze, flowing down her back over a white nightdress that flowed around her like a gentle cloud, and glowed in the starlight. Fate were taunting me, I knew it. Of all girls I could be smitten with, I had to pick a crown princess; the leader of Hyrule, soon to be queen once she picked a husband. But, who could blame me? She was gorgeous; she was intelligent, wise beyond her years. She had a certain sarcastic and sometimes sadistic sense of humor. However, what I loved the most was care she had for her people, all the people. The Hylians, the Gorons, the Zoras, no one was unnoticed.

"You'll catch a cold if you stay out here staring at me like that," I heard her say, pulling me back to reality. I looked away from her balcony to my much smaller one. I was sure my face turned red beyond reason and I turned my back to her. I heard a soft giggle like the jingling of bells from behind me.

"Princess, might I ask what is so hilarious," I asked, a little frustrated.

"You," she replied simply as I turned around to find her looking at me from her balcony, leaning on the rail and a hand on her face, truly amused. However I saw something else in her eyes, hidden beneath. It was fear, a desperate terror that ran through her, and I had an inclination as to what it was. I surprised her by leaping over to her terrace; as it was next to mine. I grinned at her reddening face and stood close to her.

"I'm glad I make you laugh," I said, smiling and walking closer to her, pointing to the starlit, azure orbs in front of me, "but I can tell there is fear in your eyes." Her smile faded and she looked down from me. A strand of her hair fell in her face and I wanted so desperately to brush it away, however it would be most inappropriate for me to make any physical contact with her whilst the guards could see me. I understood what it was that ailed her, it did so every night.

"It was another nightmare, wasn't it," I stated, a stern look beginning on my face. Zelda nodded slowly, her eyes still fixed upon the ground and her hands shaking lightly.

"I saw a great wave," she started. Her voice shook and was barely above a whisper. "It came from all around. All sides of this great country were surrounded by a great wall of water. Dark shadows blocked the sunlight. I could hear the screams of the people, but was able to do nothing. They still echo in my head… The dark waves began to fall upon the country, and all was obliterated under a great sea… and all went into silence." She was shivering. I couldn't tell if it was from the cold or her terrible reverie, but it was my job to protect her. I took the shroud from around me and placed it on her shoulders, my hands lingering longer then they should have. I backed away reluctantly, as she embraced the cloak around herself, taking in its warmth. "Do you… think it was more than a dream?" I stood beside her as she leaned over the railing and stared out onto her great country. I breathed out softly, my breath a white puff in the air, clouding my vision for a moment.

"Honestly," I replied, "Yes." She looked at me, fearful. That wasn't what she wanted to hear, but we both knew it to be the truth. "Prophetic dreams are not uncommon for you. You've told me so before, have you not?" She nodded, now covering her nose in the warm cloth wrapped around her, her eyes filled with sadness. "However," I continued, smiling, "I do not believe it would be in our lifetime."

She shook her head and sighed, "That doesn't change that this fate will befall my country, whether in my era or my descendant's." I looked at her fervently, indulging myself a little and cupping her chin so she would look at me.

"Fate can be changed. Nothing is written in stone, and we shall do as we've always done," I stated encouragingly. Suddenly not caring if the guards saw me, I placed a tuft of her auburn hair behind her ear, revealing more of her fair countenance. Her eyes still fumed with concern, wide and incredulous.

"And what would that be?" I smiled and simply replied.

"The impossible." She smiled back at me for a moment, abandoning the warmth inside the cloak and placing a hand lightly on my face. Little did we notice that our faces were moving closer to each other. I was the first to notice, I think; because, much to my disappointment, I said something.

"Princess, there is a citadel right over there," I nodded towards the north gate with the guard staring right at us. I knew I could see him smirking. I looked upon the Princess, her face mere inches from mine. She grimaced, froze in her place and groaned.

"I'm watched like a hawk, honestly," she murmured as she turned to look at our spy. She stared at him incredulously. "Is he… is he _laughing _at us?" The citadel saluted at us, his shoulders heaving as if he were trying to hide a chuckle.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" The guard yelled from his post, "It looked like you two were snogging from where I was standing," The princess gasped, appalled.

"We were NOT," she shouted back. I thought I heard her say something under her breath along the lines of 'unfortunately,' however, I must have misheard her.

"Ah, don't worry about me; I'm not one for rumors. Carry on with your… affairs… just be safe kids," he cackled as he waved us on, turning around. I shook my head furiously. How _dare_ he think I would do such a dishonorable thing? I was about to give him a thrashing (or my sword was… right through his head), but the princess stopped me, placing her small hand on my arm.

"Don't worry about that guard," she said as she saw me go for the sword strapped at my waist. My face was red. I wasn't sure if it was from the anger flowing through my veins, or from her highness' touch, but I tensed up either way. "He has worked as a citadel for years. He's appalling, but he will keep his word." I remained intense, and my hand didn't move itself from the hilt of my blade.

"The fact that he even _thought _I would do such a thing to you, princess, is enough to have my blade through his gut," I growled. She sighed and moved my hand from my sword herself.

"Be at ease, Sir, he only jests." My heart began to thump harder at the feeling of her hand upon my own, relaxing my sense of anger. "And besides, I can't have you killing all the guards. They prove useful every once in a while," she chuckled. It took me a moment to realize that her hand was like ice. We had indeed been in the winter cold too long.

"Princess, you should get back to sleep," I said, feeling her freezing fingers with my own, trying to warm them up. "The night is getting colder, and you have a diplomatic visit to the Zora's domain in the morning." She smiled at me, her eyes drooping a little.

"But I'm not tired," she yawned, leaning into my arm sleepily. I chuckled a little and shook my head at the girl.

"You are, you're asleep already," I replied as her eyes closed and she relaxed almost completely into my chest. I caught her and carried her back to her bed chamber, placing her under the covers gently. I stared at her face for a moment. A sleeping angel; that is what she was. The warm light from the hearth danced upon her features brilliantly. I pulled my eyes from her face, leaving to go to my own bed; however, a small hand grabbed mine, followed by a sweet, quiet voice.

"Don't leave," she stated, gripping my arm lightly. I knelt next to her bed as to look her in the eyes, those beautiful azure gems that were the treasure of her countenance. How lucky I was to be able to look upon those eyes, however in those eyes I saw the fear return. "I… I'm afraid to go to sleep." I smiled at her gently.

"I shall stay until you fall asleep."

"You promise?" My smile grew at her innocent reaction, taking her hand in mine and pressing my lips to it for a very short moment.

"I promise upon the lights in the sky we call stars that I will not leave your side until sweet dreams fill your thoughts this night." She looked at me and I thought I saw her blush a little under her sweet smile.

"Well then… I'm not sure if I shall want to fall asleep." My grin grew as I chuckled softly and leaned into her ear.

"Sleep," I whispered, barely audible. Her breath evened out softly into a very quiet snore. I looked to find her eyes closed, her eyes moving a little under her eyelids. She was dreaming now, and from the smile on her face, I could tell it was pleasant. Feeling a little courageous, I leaned my lips onto her cheek gently and whispered quietly into her face. "Goodnight, Zelda."

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(A/N this is now in 3rd person for the time being.)

A mixture of snow and rain showered from the heavens, making for an ice cold night that seemed to freeze the very ground. The night was dark under the new moon, and the deep ebony clouds above did not make the night any brighter. The only light, it seemed, came from the fire inside a shallow cavern to the north. Despite the warmth and light it gave, the only thing this fire fueled was a malicious plan.

Inside, trying to shelter from the cold was a group of goblins; all of mixed races. The group was small, a band no more than ten. So few survived now, all due to that… _hero…_ A Bokoblin grimaced and growled at the thought of the young man in his head. The goblin's head were fiddled with plans… evil, malicious, devastating plans; plans that would demolish the country he had grown so very much to hate. The goblin's lanky fingers stroked the rim of small container gently. _Soon_, he thought.

"Whas' dat, Shriver?" The large moblin beside him asked, reaching for the small flask, only to find his hand smacked away violently with the hilt of a gruff knife.

"Keep yer hands to yerself if ya wanna keep yer fingers," the bokoblin threatened, "This flask be special, Crul." The evil chuckle the bokoblin gave made Crul snivel with fear.

"B-but it just a bot'le," he whimpered staring at the flask as if it were about to pounce at him. Shriver just rolled his eyes at the Moblin.

"Do you know what this flask will be holden'?" Crul shook his head slowly, still afraid of the little glass container. "He he he, the blood of the one who killed Master. It be old magic ye see. The hero's blood is the key to bringing him back. Blood of the Hero spread upon the ground where Master's blood was spilled along with tears of the goddesses will sink into the ground, and the dead King will rise once more." The Moblin's eyes grew wide with awe, his pig-like face in a look of wonder… and then confusion.

"How we get blood of hero and tears of goddess?" Shriver sighed.

"Ye see, what seems the hardest is actually quite easy. There is a small waterfall in the Zora's river called the Goddesses' Tears. It be a riddle ye see. But the hero's blood, that be the hard part." Shriver stood upon the rock he was sitting on, addressing the quite small crowd.

"Listen, ye maggots!" Shriver started in his gruff tone, "The time for my _brilliant _plan to come in to action is now!"

"Now wait just a minute," a bulblin yelled, "Who decided we were goin' with yer plan?"

"Shut yer trap, Narkque, I'm gonna need that bow o' yers. Besides, do ya have a better plan to revive the Master?" The bokoblin asked. Narkque just crossed his arms and cursed under his breath. "Anyways, the plan be ambush. We're gonna need surprise on our side for this thing ter work. If the boy spots us we're done for. He's an excellent marksman as well as swordsman, so be shifty."

"I'm not afraid of no scrawny elf boy!" A moblin yelled from the corner. Shriver chuckled and shook his head.

"Then ye be a fool. Despite his size, he be strong. I swear, once I saw him throw a giant goron like he weighed no more than a wee feather. The boy could do the same to ye right off a cliff." The moblin shifted his gaze down to the ground. "Listen up, ye maggots, he's gonna be escorting the princess to the Zora's domain tomorrow. That will be our best shot t' catch him unawares."

"What about princess?" Crul asked stupidly. Shriver waved his hand dismissively for a moment, but then an evil smile played on the goblin's face.

"Crul, ye be a genius."

"But everyone call me stupid." Shriver face-palmed.

"Don't ye see, ye big bumble? The boy will do _anything _t' save the princess, he he he…." Shriver thought for a moment. "Boys, I've got me a new plan…"

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	2. Dark Crimson and Malicious Deeds

**Capuleta dos. Ok so I'm not too great at spanish. Anyways, please enjoy this very... emotional? chapter. I don't have a name for what it really is, cause it isn't emo, it's just... sad. anyways enjoy ^^**

It was a beautiful day as two riders flew across Hyrule Field. The sun glistened on the new fallen snow, making it sparkle. The wind was cold, however; making the riders' eyes water at the high speed. The young man on the large chestnut mare was in lead of the young woman on the regal white stallion.

"Princess, you are going to lose if you keep trotting like that," the young man taunted from his great mare, chuckling at his easy, soon-to-be victory. The princess glowered at him, and slapped her horse right on the rump.

"Dul níos tapúla, Néal," Zelda said angrily. (A/N: Basically, this is means "Go faster," in ancient Irish Gaelic. I thought Gaelic sounded like a very… elf-ey language, so I used it ^^ and Néal means cloud in gaelic as well.) There would be no way that she would let the young knight proof himself a better horseman. Néal quickened his pace, quickly catching up to auburn mare in front of him. The knight looked behind him, knitting his eyebrows in frustration at the princess's gaining. He spurred his mare, making her go quicker across the now white plains; but it was to no avail. Verily, Zelda passed him up. The Bridge of Hylia was in sight; the finish line.

"Who's going to lose now, Link?" She asked, jeeringly, as she touched the mouth of the bridge a short moment before Link did. "I believe it was you." Link cursed under his breath.

"Epona was carrying more, it was harder for her," he retorted, patting his mare's muscular neck as he dismounted, as did Zelda. After an entire day of carrying their masters it was time to make camp and give their horses a rest.

"Well I told you to not take extra bacon at breakfast this morning," Zelda said, poking her friend in the stomach, expecting a little fat there to give; however, she was greeted by nothing more than a hard wall. She gawked at his abdomen for a very short moment, her finger still in place. "Or… not…" Link just laughed at the princess for a moment.

"Surprised?" He asked, still chuckling. He took Zelda's hand off his stomach. Zelda, on the other hand, suddenly found the ground quite interesting, her face feeling as though it were on fire. "What do you think that sword and shield are made of? Driftwood?" He continued, still laughing a little.

"No…" The princess replied. She looked at her hand, still being held in her protector's. Her face flushed even more. "Um… Sir, you are still holding my hand," Zelda mentioned shyly. Link looked over to his left hand, finding that he did indeed still have hold on hers.

"I-I am sorry, highness," he stammered, releasing her hand quickly. As he looked at the princess, he found it surprising that she seemed disappointed. She looked around for a moment, trying to see the position of the sun in the sky. Twilight. The princess began to shiver and walked over to her horse, patting him on the nose for a moment before going to the saddle bags to get her wool cloak. She reached her hand inside absently, only to find her cloak absent. She began to look around a little more frantically, but when she couldn't find it, she simply groaned and leaned her forehead against Néal in defeat. She heard a slight chuckle behind her.

"Lose something, princess?" Link asked, wrapping the black cloak around her shoulders gently. Zelda was suddenly glad she had her back turned to him, hoping he did not see her now rosy face. The last of the sun finally dipped behind the mountains as she turned around and relaxed a little. Link's face contained a concerned look as he saw this. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, I am fine," she replied, looking at the mountains where the sun was a moment ago, "Twilight… just makes me a little…" she trailed off.

"I understand, princess," Link replied darkly, "It frightens you." Zelda looked at him, confusion fiddling her features as she did.

"Does it not you?"

"No, it does not," he sighed, looking down at his shadow for a moment, "I feel quite at ease, actually."

"You miss her… don't you?" She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Link's shoulders slumped a little and he nodded.

"Aye, I do." He replied sadly, his eyes still fixated on the ground. "She was my best friend, and now she will never walk my shadows again." Zelda felt a pang of sorrow in her own heart as well.

"You speak as if she has died."

"I feel as though she has," Link murmured. He saw the sympathy in Zelda's eyes and quickly changed the subject, taking the reins of the horses and leading them over to the bridge's mouth where they would make camp. "It's still almost a full day's ride to the Zora's domain. We need to set out early in the morning so that we can get there before nightfall." Zelda nodded as Link tied up the horses. He searched in the saddle bags and pulled out two bed rolls, but then groaned at the snowy ground. Zelda giggled slightly and walked over to her frustrated companion.

"Let me try something. Stand back." Link did as he was told and looked at the princess confusedly. Zelda took her place in the middle of the campsite and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. There were a few moments of silence, but then she suddenly punched the ground. A great fire erupted from around her, melting the snow. Link quickly dropped the bedrolls and ran over to her as she fell to her knees for a moment. Zelda held her hand up to stop him as she got up and dusted herself off. "Don't worry I'm fine. That was simply a spell." Link looked at her, astounded. Zelda simply giggled. "Surprised?"

"No, every day you find a new way to astound me, it's not much of a surprise anymore," he said honestly, grinning. Zelda's face flushed as she smiled back. She slowly raised her hand to his face.

"You're sweet, you know that?" Zelda could have sworn that his face was turning a little redder than before. The princess stepped a little closer and slowly tilted his head downward towards hers. Link was obliging gradually to her proposal, placing a rough hand on her cheek, careful not to touch her hair. (A/N: It was considered very inappropriate to touch a woman's hair in medieval times; especially one of high status. In fact, a woman would often give a man a lock of her hair as a token if she found favor with him, and it was to be held in VERY high regard.) Suddenly, something caught his eye and he froze. Link's eyes narrowed as he tried to make it out. A stocky body, a pair of horns, a bow and arrow… aimed right at Zelda.

"PRINCESS!" Link knocked the princess to the ground, shielding her body with his own. She gave a small, high pitched yelp as she hit the land, desperately trying to figure out what was going on.

"What is it? What's going on?" she asked frantically. It was then that Link felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. Zelda stared at it wide eyed as Link groaned in pain. A long, jagged arrow now pierced his shoulder, protruding all the way to his front. A drip of a dark crimson liquid fell down onto Zelda and she screamed. "LINK!" His left arm was having trouble holding his weight, suddenly feeling heavy. "Get off me! You going to get killed!" the princess exclaimed. Link shook his head, his hair falling in his eyes.

"I… will not move." He replied shakily. Link's eyes clamped shut as he gave a short scream in pain again, his stance faltering a little. Zelda saw it this time, the arrow. She saw it go straight from the marksman to Link's shoulder blade, close to what seemed to be his heart. Zelda felt a warm series of droplets fall onto her lapel. She was getting covered in blood, what was worse was the fact that it was _Link's_blood. Her eyes became moist as she looked upon his strained face and heard his stressed breathing.

"Link, move, I beg of you!" The princess pleaded. Link only responded with another unsteady reply.

"I will not… they'll kill yo-" His voice hitched.

"LINK!" Zelda screamed. His eyes widened in pain; he tried to scream but no voice would come to him. The gashing pain in his stomach began dripping with the dark crimson substance, his mind became foggy and time seemed to slow for a few moments. When his breath finally came back to him, it was unsteady and breathy. Link felt something warm leak from his mouth. Zelda covered her mouth in shock, tears flowing from her eyes into the cold night air, making them seem to freeze. She heard the knock of another arrow. "For goodness sake, will you not move?"

"N… No…" he murmured. He closed his eyes and took in a shaky breath, preparing for another blow.

"Alright, Narque, that be enough," a voice from afar grumbled, "He's not goin' anywhere." Zelda felt her protector be pulled off her, along with a small grunt in pain. She looked around and nearly screamed in fear. A group of goblins now surrounded them, two of which now held Link by the arms. Despite his wounds, Link fought to get free of his captors, strongly kicking and punching to no avail. A short bokoblin began to laugh as he came into view, his blue skin dull against his many scars. The goblin came closer, kneeling as to look the young knight in the face. Link did not give him the satisfaction as he looked down to the ground, his flaxen hair covering his eyes. The creature took out a dagger, placing it under his chin so he would look at him. "So this be all you got? T' think, all we needed t' beat ye was the girl." Link's azure eyes grew ferocious, blistering with fury. If looks could kill, the entire little squadron of goblins would be dead by now. This did not face the bokoblin however. He kept the small blade at his neck, making a small incision along his jawline.

"Don't… you dare touch her," he growled, keeping his voice low. The goblin simply laughed and looked at him incredulously.

"This… ha ha, this be priceless! I knew ye would protect her, but this... ha ha ha," he looked over to Zelda, who was still sitting upon the ground, afraid to move; not for her own sake but at the sake of her knight being gutted. "Ye… ha… ye _fancy_ her, don't ye?" Link said nothing, but looked over to the princess, his gentle gaze telling the goblin all he wanted to know. "It's true, ha ha ha," The creature stood and looked at the two moblins holding the young, injured man, then over to a few more behind him. "Crul, grab the girl."

"NO," Link growled, thrashing around even more than before, ignoring the pain it gave him as the princess was simply picked up by the large pig-man. She screamed and resisted, but to no avail.

"Now, if ye don't want yer little girlfriend here to be chopped up and used for stew, ye be doin' what ye told," he lead goblin said simply. "We be needen' yer blood. So, I'm gonna take this little bottle," he held up a small vile, "and fill it. And yer not gonna say a word. Now," he went over to the hero's back, fingering the jagged arrows and making the hero cringe, "Which one will bleed the most?" He gripped the one on his left shoulder and yanked with all his fury. The young knight yelped in protest, feeling a little blood dribble down his back. However, the bokoblin was not satisfied. "No, that wasn't it. Maybe this one." The creature pulled hard on the arrow embedded in Link's stomach, making a painful ripping sound come from his abdomen. Not only did the blood flow from his wound, but a little dripped from his mouth as well. The goblin took a little that flowed from his stomach, but he _still_ was not pleased. Zelda looked on in horror as they tortured the hero, tears flowing from her eyes. She struggled against Crul's muscle, flailing to no avail against her captor. She gazed at the blue goblin, her eyes blurry under the water flowing from them, as his fingers curled around the last arrow, the one closest to Link's heart.

"STOP!" the princess screamed, her yell reaching the mountains ahead, "Have you not done enough?" He bokoblin chuckled menacingly, then pulled full force. Zelda looked away, not able to look at the gruesome scene. Link tried to scream, but no voice came to him, only the sound of ripping flesh. A river of crimson flooded from his back, like a broken dam. The goblin smiled wildly as he filled the vile and corked it. He caressed the warm vile, walking away from the scene, only to be stopped by his followers.

"What do we do with 'im now?" one of the mobins asked, holding up by one arm like a rag doll. The boy was barely awake, now giving into the darkness that surrounded him. Zelda looked at the broken hero, a new wave of grief falling over her. The leader of the goblins looked over to the young man and gave a sly grin.

"He's of no use to us now. Throw him over the bridge."

"NO!" Zelda screamed, but it was to no benefit as the Moblin holding the hero shrugged and pitched him over the bridge into the dark, cold lake below. "Link…" she shuddered as the group of goblins took her out towards Hyrule Field.

**Once again, hit the cute little review button! ^^ kthnx.**


	3. Finally Found

**Hey, I'm back! And this chapter is LONG. Well now, this is where the real plot starts. Enjoy ^^**

"Jeez, why do I always get stuck on watch," a young Zorain man sighed, "It's not like anything is gonna happen; we're in a time of peace." He looked out toward Lake Hylia, kneeling near the water and playing with it with his forefinger. The stars reflected in the slightly icy water, making the light doubled in the large lake. The Zora groaned again in boredom. What he wouldn't give for some excitement, for _something_ to make his watch more worthwhile. Giving up on the idea he got up from the edge of the lake.

"I suppose a swim couldn't hurt," he murmured. The Zora dove into the icy lake, enjoying the shivers it gave him; the frigged temperature perfect for the fish-man. He sighed contented and simply floated over the water, giving himself a push with his fins every now and then.

"Elgrin! What do you think you're doing?" The Zora jumped at the sudden yelling and flailed around for a moment.

"Oh, Mikaru, it's just you! You scared me!" Elgrin sighed in relief, however short lived. The death glare that came from Mikaru was enough to scare anyone, _especially_ Elgrin.

"You were lying down on the job again," Mikaru growled, her arms crossed and tapping a finny foot. Elgrin smiled innocently, giving a nervous chuckle.

"Eh he he he… No I wasn't, I um… I saw uh…" he started as Mikaru raised an eyebrow. She shook her head at her counterpart. Of all people, she got stuck with Elgrin; a lazy guard who was the best fighter without even trying. She huffed and tried to keep from dispatching his cranium from his body.

"Forget it, Elgrin, I'm not even going to bother," she snapped, walking away, fuming.

"Mikaru, wait! I…" Too late, she was already gone. Elgrin groaned and placed his brow to his palm in aggravation. He had no idea why she disliked him so much, but it was starting to get on his nerves. The woman was bossy, quick tempered, and liked to yell… mostly at him. She was, in Elgrin's mind, _impossible_. Much to his disappointment, he found himself swimming after her anyways. Well, he _was_ swimming after her, until something fell right on top of him.

Elgrin fell deep into the water at the force of the falling object that hit him. He resurfaced quickly, trying to find out what on earth was happening, and why there was something heavy on his back.

"What the he- HOLY…" The young zora warrior cursed, "DEAD GUY! DEAD GUY! GET IT OFF ME!" He threw the thing off his back and swam briskly to shore, now horrified and panting. Mikaru, luckily, hadn't wandered far, so she heard Elgrins scream. She rolled her eyes and ran back to the terrified zora, who was now sitting in some sort of fetal position like a coward.

"What did you do this time, Elgrin?" Mikeru asked irritably, her arms crossed again.

"Wha- I didn't do ANYTHING!" he exclaimed back, incredulous. "There's a dead guy in the water and he just fell on top of me!" Mikaru looked out toward the water to see a floating figure in the water, face up, but there was little else she could make out.

"Did you see what race he was?"

"I think it's a Hylian." Mikaru gave one last short, disapproving shake of her head, and dove into the water out to the floating body. As she was getting closer there was a little more she could tell about it. It was definitely male, he was clothed in a green tunic and chain mail, his hair was a dark, dirty blonde. She swam very close to the body, supporting him before he could sink. She felt something very warm seep onto her hand. She looked around at the water as it was being dyed crimson. Mikaru flipped him over, as to get a better look at his back, and gasped. Three deadly, flesh ripping wounds fiddled his back, the one closest to the middle still bleeding profusely. His head was over her shoulder as she tried to stop the bleeding, even if he was already gone. What happened next nearly scared her to death.

"Ugh…" a voice came from the body. Mikaru screamed for a moment and threw him a very short distance from her. She shook her fear away and swam to him again. The young man's eyes didn't open, but his chest rose a little. Mikeru smiled. _Wait, if he's alive then… Oh no, the water! It's too cold for a Hylian! _She slew a shoulder over her own and began to swim closer to shore, but he was too heavy. Mikaru groaned in annoyance.

"Mikaru, what are you doing? He's dead; just leave him there!" Elgrin shouted from the shore. Mikaru grunted at her counterpart and still continued to try and get the young, injured man to shore.

"He's not dead yet, you twit! But he will be if you don't get your _**lazy ass**_over here and help me!" Mikaru retorted.

"Alright, alright, no need to get nasty." Elgrin retorted as he obliged and jumped in, then helping her drag the man to the shore. Elgrin was about to place the man on his back before Mikaru stopped him.

"No, no, no, don't do that; he's got some pretty gruesome wounds on his back." Elgrin looked at the young warrior's back breathed in sharply and gave a look that simply said it all. 'Ouch.' "Yeah." she said slowly, "I wonder what happened to him, the poor thing." She began moving some of the hair from his face.

"What are you, Mikaru, a woman or a warrior?" Elgrin asked with a laugh. The question didn't annoy her as much as it could of, so she made light of it as well. She chuckled, a rare sight.

"Sometimes, I'm both." She face grew serious as she looked back at the unconscious Hylian before her. "Elgrin, go back to the village and tell them we found a very injured man fall from the bridge. We need to get him up there before the hypothermia sets in." She looked to the young man; he was already starting to shiver. Elgrin nodded and swam up the waterfall that led to the zora's domain.

Mikaru helped the young man into a sitting position, supporting him as he was not able to fully lie on the ground. For the first time she got a good look at his face. His features were sharp and well filled out, and his face was pale and flushed. Curious, she placed her palm to his forehead, and then pulled it away quickly. _Well one thing's for sure_, she thought, _He definitely doesn't have hypothermia. _He was blazing hot with a fever. Her attention was once again pulled to his torso.

"What in Hyrule _**happened**_ to you?" She felt a great pang of empathy as she looked at him. Though not as bad as his back, the wounds pierced all the way to his front. He was still bleeding pretty badly. His chest was rising and falling unevenly, and a raspy sound covered his breathing. The Hylian groaned, grabbing Mikaru's attention even more. His breathing got a little heavier, and his eyes moved under his eyelids. He was slowly, but surely, waking. His eyelids began to flutter open, revealing a pair of deep, cerulean eyes. _They're… so pretty,_ Mikaru thought. She only got to see them for a moment before he clamped them shut and knitted his eyebrows together, giving a small grunt. He grasped his abdomen in pain and tried to support himself with his other hand.

"Wh… Where am I?" The young man asked, his voice low, almost inaudible. His arm collapsed under his weight and Mikaru caught him around the shoulders, so he wouldn't fall to the ground and further injure himself.

"Lake Hylia," Mikaru responded kindly, "Help is on the way, you will be safe here." The Hylian gave a weak nod in thanks and closed his eyes again. Mikaru opened and closed her mouth, wanting to ask a question, but not wanting to disrupt his new found tranquility. Finally, she said something.

"What happened?" she asked, "Who did this to you?" The man's eyes opened again sluggishly.

"The… there were goblins," he panted, "It was… a surprise attack, they… shot me in… in the back three times... jagged arrows." Pain came again as his face became constrained and he forced his eyelids closed. Mikaru could understand why. Jagged arrows were a Bulblin invention. They were terrible things, made to tear flesh when pulled out. _So_ that's _why he was bleeding so badly_, she thought. "They… wanted my… my blood. I don't know why."

"That's… odd." She mentioned, utterly confused. The young man gave Mikaru that clearly said, 'understatement of the year,' before it was replaced by a grimace and a slight hiss in pain. It took Mikaru a moment to realize her arm had accidently grooved its way into one of his wounds. She moved it and apologized with the utmost sincerity.

"S-Sorry... um, please, continue," she replied with interest. The young knight nodded slightly and continued, closing his eyes as he tried to remember.

"They pulled… the arrows out and… put my blood in a vile. Then… they… they…" His eyes snapped open, wide and worried beyond reason. "Zelda… they took Zelda!" He tried to stand up, but when he couldn't he proceeded to try and crawl. Mikaru held him back, easing him back into his former position, but it was difficult with how much he was struggling.

"Wait, what are you doing? Who's Zelda?" She questioned, trying to get the Hylian to settle down.

"They… They will kill her… she could die!" he exclaimed breathily, trying to get up again. Mikaru fought against him and won, which was a surprisingly difficult feat; even in his state he was very strong.

"Hold up! Right now, the only one I see who looks like they're about to die is you. Calm down!" she exclaimed. He finally did so, but his eyes became glazed over, as if he were about to start weeping. "Now," she stated calmly, "Who is this Zelda?" The name sounded familiar, but she could place her finger on where she had heard it before. Then it hit her. "Wait. You couldn't mean… _Princess_ Zelda?" The young man nodded. She looked at him, dumbstruck. After a bit of thought, it all made sense. The princess was coming for a diplomatic visit to meet up with King Ralis, so passing by here was to be expected. The princess rarely traveled alone, so this must have been one of her knights. It made perfect sense with the chainmail and the sword sheath.

She took a better look at the sword sheath on his back. It was empty, but the sheath itself was beautiful. It was a deep forest green, with an accent of silver in the shape of a vine, and brown leather; at the top was a silver phoenix's head with a tiny emerald for the eye. This was not a sheath to a common sword.

"Where is your sword and shield?" she asked. At this point she was trying to keep him awake, because if he went to sleep, he may never wake up.

"With… my horse," he breathed, his eyelids drooping.

"Come on now, stay with me… Um… What's your horse's name? I bet a great knight like you named it something heroic."

"Heh… not really. H… hername isepona." His voice was becoming quieter, and his speech slurred. She felt his forehead again. The fever was now gone, but it was as she feared. He was getting Hypothermia from staying out in the frigid air after being in the water. The man was colder than the water. He no longer shivered, which was a bad thing. A very bad thing. His eyes were becoming heavier; she could see it written all over his face. _Please hurry, Elgrin. _She pleaded in her mind, rubbing his arms to try and get some heat from the friction.

As if an answer from a prayer, Elgrin sprung from the water and onto the shore, watching in almost entertainment as he saw the lady zora try to heat up the Hylian. He shrugged it off and motioned to the top of the cliff, where about four more Zora's used a rope tied to a cot to get him up the mountain and into the domain. The man's eyes began to close, but Mikaru shook him awake.

"Come on now, just a little longer. Stay with me." She commanded and the young knight nodded. Elgrin took the man's shoulders and Mikaru grasped his legs as the lowered the man onto the cot. The Hylian winced at the pressure on his back, but pushed it aside as he realized it must be done. Voices could be heard from the top of the cliff as Elgrin gave thumbs up.

"Ready? HEAVE!" The Zoras at the top of the cliff began to slowly, bit by bit, hoist the man to the top of the cliff. Mikaru gave a sigh of relief for a moment. In a few minutes, the man would be safe inside the village. She looked at Elgrin, who gave a sly smirk at Mikaru.

"Don't look at me that way! I'm just glad he's safe now," she retorted.

"Ugh-huh," Elgrin sarcastically replied, patting his friend on the shoulder, "Yeah, that's it. Hey, I can understand. From one guy to another, I can honestly say that he's a pretty handsome cat." Mikaru gave him a death glare again and removed his hand from her shoulder.

"You don't know who that is, do you?"

"Oh. And like _you_ do?"

"I have a pretty good guess," Mikaru replied darkly. Elgrin's smile gave way as he looked at his counterpart, taking a step closer. "He has deep connections to the Crown, is a knight, and has one of the nicest swords I've ever seen. The princess wouldn't just give those away to anyone in the guard. Plus, he was escorting her here. By himself. That man is held in _very_ high regard." Elgrin looked at her confusedly for a moment, but then it hit him.

"Wait, you're not saying… it's… _him_?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." She replied, crossing her arms. Elgrin looked in awe and fear at the slowly rising cot.

King Ralis, a mere boy of the age of thirteen, sat on the throne of his mother. He was a little bored that day, and it was nearly time to go to bed. So he got up, dismissed the guards and headed off to the room around the corner. As he took his first step, however, he was stopped.

"YOUR MAJESTY!" A zora exclaimed, panting heavily from the entrance. There were three others with him, carrying a cot with something on it. He couldn't tell what it was, a brown blanket had enveloped the figure.

"Elgrin? What is it?" The king asked, fully curious. Elgrin motioned the other zoras forward.

"Mikaru and I were keeping watch at the lake, like you asked, and this guy just fell out of nowhere. I thought he was dead, but turns out, he's still alive! But he's very hurt, we need to help him, or he'll die!" Elgrin explain quickly. The king nodded.

"Set him down, I'll find the doctor," Ralis replied, running off to the opposite wing of the throne room. He soon came to the room he was looking for, finding a short Zora writing something on a piece of parchment. The zora turned around to the sound of clambering feet.

"Your highness!" he exclaimed, giving a short bow, "I hope there is no ill reason for you having to find me this night."

"I'm afraid there is, Gyo, there is a very injured man in the throne room. He needs immediate attention." Gyo nodded and grabbed his bag of first aid equipment and ran after his king in to the main throne room. Gyo noticed the young Hylian on the cot right away and ran over, kneeling next to him and getting to work.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Gyo, and I'm here to help you, alright?" The doctor mentioned, open his bag. "Come on out, I need my nurse," he stated in the bag, receiving a quizzical look from the Hylian. A little purple, glowing orb with wings flew out of the bag.

"What is it, Gyo, I was _sleeping_," the little fairy asked, a little irritated. Gyo just sighed at his partner and removed the brown blanket from the young man's torso. They both gasped, sorrowful looks on their faces. "Oh my…" The doctor simply nodded.

"You think that's bad?" Elgrin asked sarcastically. "Flip him over." Gyo did as the young warrior zora said, gently. His back left the pair of doctors speechless for a while. Gyo took out a strange variation on a stethoscope and listened to his lungs and heart. His face held a frown now. Not a good sign.

"Well, it's not good. His wounds aren't infected, thank goodness, but it seems that the water gave him pneumonia. And that wound near his heart… it nearly pierced it…" the doctor trailed off his diagnosis. "I'm going to be honest. This must be the strongest man alive to have lived this long… Unless Lei can do something," he motioned over to the fairy, "I'm afraid the only thing I can do is make his passing less painful." An eerie silence filled the room as they stared at the Hylian. Mikaru looked as if she might cry, but of course she did not. She did what she did best; yelled and argued.

"Don't you_ dare_ give up that easily! You can't just let him die!"

"There's nothing I can do…" the doctor explained once again.

"And I can't just sit and watch while a man dies not knowing if his love lives!" There it was, Mikaru at full force. Elgrin placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it comfortingly.

"Mikaru, what are you talking about?" He asked.

"This man… the reason he is so injured is not because he is weak. He sacrificed himself to save the one he loves, he told me the story. They were attacked by a hord of goblins, he and the princess. He jumped in front of her to save her life, but she was taken anyways." She looked over to the young Hylian, not knowing if he heard her, but making her heart be felt by all. "He loves her, I can tell by the way he acted when he remembered. He nearly took my arm off trying to get to the bridge, so he could get to her…" She looked over to the doctor and gave her famous death glare, "And now, he's about to die because the doctor won't even TRY to save him. Don't torture him that way, he deserves better!" Her voice barely about a whisper, but it filled the whole room with her intensity. Lei flew over to Mikaru, placing a tiny hand on her face.

"Let me try something. I may not be able to heal him thoroughly and completely, but I can seal his wounds up and warm him." The purple fairy flew over to the young knight and landed on his chest, and looked him in the face.

"I think I've heard about you," she said, looking at his face, "you like trapping my sisters in jars, is that right?" The young man gave no response, but looked away from the fairy, a little pain ensuing him. "I thought so. They say you're a good fighter and very loyal." The young man's confusion returned. "They said you're kind and fight to the death for your friends; and that I can see." She motioned over to his wounds. "I'm not sure if I can do much, but I'll try, alright?" The fairy flew around the Hylian, spreading her magic dust upon his wounds, and they began to clear up immediately. His body warmed with the feeling of bright sunshine on him. Breath returned to him easier, and he sat up a little. It was painful, but not near as much as before. The young man nodded his thanks and slowly tried to stand. "Wait! I didn't say to do that! Your wounds will open up again!" He ignored the Lei, and tried to stand anyway. He stumbled forward for a moment and caught himself on the wall. He was still breathing heavily. Mikaru ran over to help, him, but he held up a hand, signaling he wanted no help. He stood again with some help from the wall; he put his hand to his head, patting it confusedly, and then groaned.

"Blast, my hat is gone." He said. King Ralis just laughed and shook his head, walking over to the Hylian.

"You haven't changed in the slightest, Sir Link," the king chuckled, but then his smile faded. "What happened to you?"

"It is as the lady said," he answered, looking at Mikaru, "I owe you my greatest thanks, but I wish you did not go into such detail. There are things I would like to keep private." Mikaru laughed at his statement.

"Well, if I did not, you would not be alive right now, now would you?"

"I suppose not," he chuckled, but his smile quickly faded.

"That isn't the entire story, is it?" King Ralis asked, his voice low. Link shook his head, grabbing his chest a moment and then falling to his knees again and giving a groan.

"I told you!" the fairy said, flying over to Link and flying down his tunic. The reaction was rewarded only by a quizzical look from the knight. "Well," she continued from the inside of his shirt, "luckily, your wound didn't open up, but it's still going to be tender." She flew out of his tunic, landing on his shoulder. "Is there any way that we can continue this conversation elsewhere, where he can rest?"

"That's alright," Link grunted, standing up, "I need to get going…" his face grew darker as he painfully started to walk, "This is all my fault, I have to find her… Who knows what could have happened to her." He almost fell to his knees again as another wave of pain hit him. Elgrin caught him before he could fall and gave a sigh.

"Sorry, man. You're not going anywhere until you can defend yourself." Elgin replied, receiving an encouraging nod from the king. Elgrin was surprised by how warm he was, for being so cold a moment ago. "Lei, I think your warming spell worked a little too well." The fairy flew to his forehead, placing a hand on it, and making a clicking sound in empathy.

"Oh, that's all my fault. Now he has a fever."

"Probably from the pneumonia," Doctor Gyo added. "Bring him to my infirmary… quickly." The Zoras followed the doctor into his little infirmary. Elgin supported Link with his shoulder. Trying to lighten the mood a little, Elgrin smiled at Link.

"Hey man, what did the king call you again?"

"Link," he replied, "I don't believe I caught your name either, or the young woman who helped me."

"My name's Elgrin; and that angry excuse for a woman over there is Mikaru," Elgrin replied, suddenly very pleased Mikaru didn't hear him. Link chuckled for a moment.

"Thank you. I owe you my life." Elgrin grinned at him and placed Link on the bed in the corner of the room. Much to his displeasure, Link fell into it quite comfortably. Though, in his mind, he didn't have time to waste, the feeling of the soft mattress was almost lulling him to sleep. He shook himself awake, looking at the young zora king expectantly.

"What else happened, Link, I may be able to help." Ralis responded. Link nodded and began the story. He told of how the goblins wanted his blood, and of how demonic the bokoblin who did this to him was. By the end of the story, Ralis was wide eyed.

"Link… I think I know what they want," the child king replied, "There is a malicious, old legend of how to bring the dead, especially the evil, back to life. Many things are needed, but the main ingredient is the blood of the one who killed them, mainly, the hero. 'Blood of the hero, tears of the goddesses; these things brought together in the place where Evil fell will bring the dead back to life.' Link, you know what this means." Link nodded, fear in his eyes as he remembered the gift given to him by the evil king a year ago. His hand migrated over to his right shoulder. "Link, there is more you should know. There is more to the legend, but it was lost long ago. They are missing the other ingredients to bring back the dead King."

"So, you are saying that they cannot finish the spell?" Link asked, hopeful. Ralis shook his head, looking even more downcast.

"No, I'm afraid not. The scroll holding the legend is hidden, deep in the desert somewhere. The map to find the ingredients, I do not know where that is… but Link, they cannot find it. This spell will not only bring back the Dead King, it will give the user control over the dead. The user could make a dead army." The King explained. Link looked down, his face becoming constrained and angry. He shook his head, placing it in his palm.

"There's only one solution, isn't there," he asked, his face hidden under his hand.

"I'm afraid so, Hero. You must find the ingredients before they do." Link breathed out heavily, sliding his hand down his face in aggravation. He nodded and looked to King Ralis.

"I know," he sighed, "I will leave in the morning."

"Oh, no you won't," Gyo interrupted, "You're not going anywhere until I can get my hands on a purple potion for you. It should heal you enough for you quest, but for now, you're stuck here, whether you like it or not. I don't think this is meant to be a suicide mission." Link nodded, a little aggravated. Elgrin saw the entire thing. He shook his head on his decision, but he felt he had to do it.

"And I'm going with you." He said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Link shook his head at his new friend's kindness.

"I couldn't ask you to do that. It's too dangerous."

"Which is exactly why I'm going. And you're going to have to chain me up and use me for target practice to stop me." Link smiled at him.

"Thank you, Elgrin." He said. Elgrin locked his hand with Link's and gave a firm shake. "Just as long as you realize the danger you are putting yourself in." Elgrin gave the firmest of smirks.

"It's a deal, then."

**Once again, hit the nice little review button! ^^**


	4. Flames

**Well, this isn't exactly the most eventful chapter. BUt hey, all books have moments of filler right? Hope you like it. Legend of Zelda (c) Nintendo**

Clouds covered the sky over Hyrule Field. It was as if the goddesses' eyes were to start becoming moist at the loss of the country's hero. However, it was a victory for the goblins, who now ran to the west, huffing over the green fields from their tiresome canter. One stopped, placed his hands on his knees, and panted; as many others followed the suit.

"No resting!" The blue bokoblin yelled, half entranced in his little red bottle, as he turned to his followers.

"We're not goin' no further… till we've had a breather, Shriver." A bulblin grunted, his breath heavy. The rest of the goblins followed his statement by nodding and yelling in agreement. Shriver growled in protest, but agreed that it was now late, and it wasn't like they had Link to worry about.

"Fine, fine… get a fire going," Shriver commanded. The goblins caught their breath, then went out the nearest tree and chopped at the strong branches. All except one. One certain moblin held a lithe female Hylian over his shoulders, her hands bound and hanging around him like a cloak. Soft breathing could be felt on his back as the girl slept, exhausted from trying to escape multiple times. The moblin set her down gently on the grass, then stared at her, curious about the girl.

"Crul, what are ye doin? Get over here and help us; she's not going anywhere," the bublin screamed. Crul simply nodded and clumsily ran over to the group. He simply gave the tree in front of him a push, and it fell over with a crack and a large thump. The horde of goblins stared at the moblin in awe but then shooed him off again. Crul walked back to the lady with a pout.

"No one like Crul," he grumbled, crossing his arms and sitting on a rock next to the young Hylian girl. Upon further looking he saw that the girl was, in fact, not asleep. Her eyes were wide open and wet, leaking into her bound hands. Crul looked on with compassion, curious for her story.

"Why pretty lady cry?" He asked, his face leaning forward a little, to get a better look. The girl took her hands from her face, and revealed an angry expression.

"Why do I cry?" she asked, incredulous, "Did you not see what you monsters did? You did not only kill my dearest friend, you _destroyed_ him. I… didn't even get to say goodbye." She held back a sob and sat up as much as she could, so that looked the moblin in the face, who was now a little afraid of the young Hylian girl. "I would not wish the fate that befell him on any creature, human or otherwise; until now. Your people are cruel and evil, and I will fight until the last of this race does not roam this earth, even if it kills me." Crul the Moblin retreated as far as he could without leaving his seat. The girl's eyes were so filled with fire, so full of hate that you could feel the heat coming from her gaze.

"I no do it," he replied, the large creature nearing tears himself. "I no like hurt people. It make me feel bad. I no like seein' hero hurt either, but can't do nothin'. I no want to do this, but I have to." Zelda's eyes calmed as she looked at the giant creature. Was he showing… _compassion_? Was he being _sympathetic_ to her? She had never thought of the fact that the goblins _**had**_ to serve the Dark King. The thought of a decent one had never entered her mind. Crul looked around to see if any other goblins were around before he leaned in and whispered to the princess. "I no like Master. Master kill my brother." The princess' eyes got wide.

"Why?" she asked, no other words coming to her.

"Little brother not strong enough," the moblin replied sadly, "On eastern march, he fall over. I try to help him, but Master stop me, making me march on as little brother get crushed by crowd." The Moblin almost started crying. Zelda almost wanted to console him, make him a little less heavy hearted. But if she had learned anything in the past few hours, it was that goblins were smarter than they seemed. She would not be so quick to trust him, it would be unwise.

Zelda turned from Crul, deciding to lie on her side and completely ignore him instead. The wind blew a little, making her shiver. She tried as best as she could to gather herself to retain warmth, but she was not succeeding. The black cloak she was wearing was doing very little, as she could not reach it from her back with her bound hands. Perhaps she would just let herself die here, in the cold. The more she thought on the idea, the more it disturbed and comforted her. She soon shook the thought out of her head. '_No,'_ she thought,_'that will never do. I have a duty to uphold to my people… and… if I die… his death will have been for nothing.'_ Zelda felt herself begin to weep once more, but she took a deep breath and relieved her mind of the thought.

'_But first, I must escape. Think, think! How would Link do this?' _She thought, beginning to chuckle quietly, _'Well, he would probably not get caught in the first place.' _ She began to work at the twine bonds; but the ropes were thick, and tied tightly. She just was not strong enough to simply break them. Thinking for a moment, she thought of something else. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, focused; then, with the utmost concentration and smallest power, created a tiny flame in her hand. She slowly opened her eyes, staring at the fire dancing in her hand. She breathed slowly, clearing her mind before ordering the flame to travel down to her bound wrists. It came so close, the bonds began to burn. Only a little further and she would be free, if she could concentrate.

"What's she doin'?" One of the goblins from afar asked, gathering the other's attention. This broke the princess' focus, and her entire hand began to burn. The flame began to envelope her arms, quickly making its way up to her shoulders. The protection from the fact that she was producing the fire was very little, and she felt herself burning. She could not stop it, and Zelda screamed. The Moblin beside her gasped, and began looking around frantically for something to put out her flaming arms.

Soon Zelda felt a cold rush of water upon her person, relieving the searing pain a little. She was now breathing heavily from the shock, her tears and common thoughts taking a backseat to her now completely burnt arms, hands, and shoulders. The pain was no longer there, though she knew that this was not by any means a good thing. She was now shuddering, not noticing that her hands were indeed now free. She didn't dare move her arms now; she didn't dare move at all. The exhaustion from the day and the pain she had just ensued were now taking their toll. A few thoughts went through her mind as she began to feel the darkness of sleep take her. Who had saved her, the prisoner who was most likely sentenced to death? She looked up, and the last thing she saw was a large half-pig-half-human creature holding a large canteen before sleep found her.

_Link felt fire. Fire was all that was seen or heard… except… a scream. It was blood-curdling, desperate with terror and pain. The worst part was that he recognized the voice, but from where? He had never heard a woman scream like that, scream as if they had met a fate worse than death. He listened harder amongst the heat and the flames, his eyes closed. On the account of another scream, his eyes shot open again. Then, he saw it._

_Deep azure eyes wet with tears and flames burning every bit of her being. _

"_Link! Save me!" She screamed in her fearsome shrill voice. Link's heart broke before him as he saw the tips of her hair begin to burn quickly, all the way to her scalp. She cried aloud again as her felt her head begin to burn. "HELP ME!" she shouted. Link tried, but he could not move, he could only watch. "WHY?" she asked, tears evaporating with the heat, "WHY WILL YOU NOT SAVE ME?"_

"ZELDA!"

Link shot up with a yell, his body unforgiving as he sat up. He felt the instant pain in his abdomen and chest, making him breathe even heavier than before, his breath was loud and raspy from the liquid in his lungs. He cleared his throat for a moment, which was a mistake. It led into a coughing fit that he could not stop; a little blood spit onto his hand from where he was covering his mouth. This by no means was a quiet act, and suddenly awoke the zora doctor from his peaceful snoozing in his chair. After a moment of surprise and confusion, he suddenly recognized the severe coughing sound coming from the bed.

"Blast…" he muttered irately as he rushed to Link's side, placing a hand on his back and pushing slightly to make him lean over as to stop the coughing fit. "Hold your breath," he said soothingly. Link gave a questioning look from his pained face. Why would he hold his breath? He couldn't breathe already! "Trust me," the zora said, rubbing his back a little. Link did as he was told. Surprisingly, the coughing did slowly wither down. When he finally could, the knight took a deep, hefty breath, as if he had been drowning. He placed his hand to his chest, which was now covered by nothing then thick bandages; as his mail and tunic proved to labor easy breathing.

The doctor took this moment to walk over to his cabinet, pulling down a large blue glass flask from it. He gave it a quick shake before uncorking it and pouring a little into a cup and then handing it over to Link, who accepted it graciously. However, when he put the cup to his lips, he took it away just as quickly. He swallowed his sip manly, but still a strange form of an expression fashioned on his face.

"Well, what were you expecting, fine wine?" The medic chuckled incredulously. Link shook his head and drank the rest of the concoction in one gulp, grimacing at the foul, bitter taste.

"Dear Farore, what exactly _**is**_ that?" The knight exclaimed. The zora continued to laugh quietly, shaking his head at the knight.

"Old family recipe. Should take hold in three," the doctor replied, counting down, "two," Link started to feel woozy and he held his head as the room started to spin, "one." Link's cranium fell down onto the pillow with a soft thump. The doctor sighed, and his smile faded. The boy was worse off then he originally thought. Link was in a cold sweat, which paired with a fever and wounds was not the best of symptoms. He took the cup from the sick knight's sleeping hands and placed it back in the cabinet.

"Dr. Gyo, I heard a loud scream, is everything alright?" The voice belonged to none other then the young zora man who had helped him earlier.

"Yes, Elgrin, for right now, though I can't guarantee anything." Gyo replied sadly while taking out a rag from the cupboard.

"What do you mean by that?" Elgrin asked, walking over to the sleeping Hylian. Dr. Gyo wetted the cloth with cold water and trudged over to the sleeping patient.

"His fever has gotten worse," he replied, placing the cold rag on his head, "And the worst part is that I think it's self induced. He can't simply rest his mind and let himself recover, which is why I gave him my special blend."

"Which one," Elgrin chuckled, knowing the doctor's affiliation with experimental concoctions. He looked over to the sleeping Hylian, and knew exactly which one it was. Link was completely out cold. "Your grandmother's?" The doctor nodded.

"It does well to quiet coughing," he replied simply

"Ha, and everything else," Elgrin joked, but the Hylian's breathing still cut through. It sounded as if he was rasping through water. The pneumonia was still very much intact. "Well, mostly."

"That also worries me. But with that blend he should have complete, dreamless sleep for at least a few hours. It will help immensely for him to rest without nightmares."

"Nightmares?" Elgrin asked incredulously.

"Aye, at least the third one tonight," the doctor replied, "It's why he's sweating so badly."

"Fever must have really gotten to his head, huh?" Elgrin deduced, looking at the knight sympathetically. Gyo nodded, walking over to his desk again.

"Partially; it's not helping any. But I think it has more to do with stress. The king didn't pick the most opportune of times to tell him of his next quest." Elgrin nodded in agreement.

"He needs to recover soon. He's not going to just stay here and sit around while time isn't exactly on his side. He'll try to leave on his own while he's still ill," Elgrin noted, thinking about what he knew of his new friend's character.

"It seems that way, doesn't it?" The doctor mentioned. The hero did seem to put other's welfare before reason. "Well, hopefully, he'll be fit to travel quite soon. I sent Mikaru to the Castle Town for potions. If she makes haste, she will be here by tomorrow afternoon."

"How soon is 'quite soon?'" Elgrin inquired.

"A few weeks, at the least," The zora doctor replied, writing something on a large piece of parchment as if this was no large problem.

"A few _weeks?_" Elgrin repeated in disbelief, "Doc, you have got to be kidding me!"

"You didn't seriously believe that he would be well so quickly? It'll take a miracle for him to be well enough to leave any time sooner; perhaps by the goddesses themselves." The doctor mentioned, emotion still a little void from his voice. Elgrin knew he was right, but even so, Link's sanity may very well be forfeit by then. Dr. Gyo yawned largely and sat down in his chair. The zora doctor was obviously exhausted.

"Hey man, go to bed. I'll look after him," Elgrin stated, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. The doctor smiled.

"Thank you, Elgrin," he said, nearly limping to the door from lack of sleep. "If there are any problems, come wake me." Elgrin nodded as Gyo exited his office. He sat in the chair closest to the injured knight's bed. The smile that was normally playing on the zora's face was now gone, replaced by worry.

"Come on man, you can pull through this," Elgrin said as he took the now slightly warm cloth off his head and placed it in the cold water next to him, then positioned it back on his head. The zora leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The warrior didn't realize just how tired he was. The next thing Elgrin knew was the darkness of sleep.

The night continued on. Comforting, soft light seeped from a single candle on the side table. Two sleeping figures, one in a chair and the other on the bed, snoozed on unknowingly as a small figure tiptoed into the room. The sleeping zora in the chair snored loudly, and the lithe, little thing shook her head at the dozing fish-man. She wasn't quite sure how the hero slept so soundly with such a racket in the room. Her little doll dragged the floor a little as she crept in closer to the bed, then jumped on it without noise. She looked at the ill Hylian quizzically for a moment, placing a tiny finger on his cheek experimentally. He made a slight groaning sound and shifted his head, but didn't awaken. She couldn't help but chuckle a little at his funny little noise.

The little girl continued her work and placed her small head to his bandaged chest, making a face of concentration as she listened. The breath definitely didn't sound normal, but raspy and slightly squeaky, almost as if he were choking. The girl clicked her tongue in sympathy, patting his chest a little. Curious, the little girl moved some of the bandages, not taking them off, but peeking underneath to see the damage done. She couldn't help but make another concerned face. A large wound, with skin barely covering the entry point, engraved his stomach. If the man were to move the wrong way, they would open up again. He was a little worse off than she originally thought but, it was by no means unfixable. The girl placed her hand on his cheek for a moment, and then slapped him lightly.

"Hey there, wake up," she said calmly. The hero stirred a little, but then fell back onto his pillow. The girl huffed. Of course he wouldn't wake that easily. There was only one choice. She held her hand behind her head and swung, leaving a red mark on his cheek. The Hylian shot awake, giving a short yelp.

"GAH!... ow…" he murmured, placing a hand on his now stinging cheek. Link opened his eyes, and then giving a very confused look to the glowing little girl that had awoken him, whom was now sitting on his chest. Still a little groggy from the sedative given to him earlier, Link's introduction was quite as polite as it usually would be.

"Who the hell are you?" The little girl gave a frown and a pout, crossing her arms.

"Now that wasn't very nice," she retorted, "Cursing in front of a little girl."

"It wasn't exactly polite to slap an ill man, either," he countered, grunting as he sat up a little. The little girl sighed.

"Well, I couldn't wake you up any less rudely, unless you call pouring water on your person a nice way to be woken up," she replied, hugging her little doll. Link was waking up a little more, and his rudeness fell back into his normal polite self. He did, after all, have a soft spot for children.

"I am sorry; I didn't mean to offend you… Gruh," he grunted as a pang of pain shot through his chest. He gripped the bandages near his heart, his discomfort growing. Despite it, he tried to sit up a little more, making the little girl roll over backwards onto his stomach. "Oh, are you alright!"

The child giggled. "That was fun!" She sat up and got off his torso, walking on the edge of the bed to the headboard. "Now, to take care of you…" she trailed off.

"No, no. That's alright. The doctor hasn't told this to me," he said, still smiling; though a little more sorrowful, "but I think that… I may be a little beyond help at this point. I know it, I knew it all along. I'm not going to have much longer, so I hope that Elgrin is as good a warrior as everyone says he is." His eyes fell on the snoring zora. He really had been a good friend; even in the short time he had known him.

The child crossed her arms once again, giving a scolding look to the worn hero.

"Now what kind of talk is that? Heroes aren't supposed to talk like that," she said, almost encouragingly, "Heroes are supposed to overcome anything, or at least try!"

The hero chuckled under his breath for a brief moment. "Child, I am no hero. For heroes are also not meant to fail." The child sighed and jumped off the bed, but instead of falling to the floor, she simply floated in the air.

"Do not speak of things that have not come to be." With that, the girl began to glow. Her back expanded into two beautiful wings of green, more graceful than a butterfly's. Her tiny body gave way to a taller, lither one. Her hair turned a slight greenish hue and fell long and gorgeous. The light gave way to a soft glow, and before the hero stood one of the most beautiful women ever seen. She stepped forward gracefully, placing a hand on his cheek lovingly.

"Do you know now who I am? I am the Great Queen of the Fairies," she said, her face now mere inches away from his own. Link was unable to say anything, but just sat there dumbstruck at the Queen. She giggled a little at his speechlessness. "Link, hero chosen by the goddesses; I now give you my greatest blessing. Treat it, along with your life, as such." With that, her lips softly touched his. He didn't react, he wasn't sure how to. He felt such warmth enter through his body and his pain simply disappeared. A glowing light seemed to fill him as his breathing became easier and his wounds were soothed. It felt as though liquid gold now replaced his blood. The fairy departed her lips from his as she ended her kiss of life. "Hero, you have not failed. Your time has only begun." Link nodded with his eyes wide. He was still in awe over the events of the past few moments. The Queen looked over to the sleeping zora in the chair. He was still snoring as if nothing had happened.

"This is to be your traveling companion, yes?" she questioned, giggling a little at his quite plain snoozing. Link nodded, smiling a little at his new companion. The fairy bent down to the tip of his nose, and kissed it lightly. A little flow of sparks flew and covered him for a moment. "Then I give him also my blessing. He will now not need water to survive, and can endure the harshest of climates." With that, she ran over to the door to leave, but then turned around. "Goodbye hero, I wish you well. If you are ever weary, come visit my fountain in the desert. And by the way," she replied with a jingling laugh, "You really are adorable." Link's face burned and turned red, to say the least. And with that, she faded away and disappeared. A little dust followed her, and then proceeded to fly up Link's nose.

He gave a small sneeze, trying to be quiet as to not wake his friend. But it was to no avail as Elgrin shot up like he had just been poked with the wrong end of a sword. "HM? WHAT? HUH! WHAT HAPPENED?" Link laughed for the first time that night, happy it did not leave him in a coughing fit.

"You may want to make yourself comfortable my friend; this is going to be a long story."

**R&R please, or octorock eat you 0.o**


	5. I Will Find You

**Sup peoples. Chapter Five! Sorry it's taken so long, I've been distracted. AND IT IS DONE :DD Hope it was worth the wait for some... PLOT :D.**

"So… you will be leaving then," King Ralis asked, as the young knight threw a black traveling cloak over his shoulders and dark shirt. "Aye, I must leave as soon as possible. Time isn't something I have," he replied, his voice quiet and serious.

"Where will you go?" The king asked, a little hesitant.

"To find the princess," Link replied simply, adjusting the hood of the cloak over his face.

"But, the Dark King's minions are on the move. If they find that legend before you…"

"I am well aware of the circumstances," Link snapped, "But listen here; I will not leave her to die." Link turned around at the king, a certain fire blazing in his eyes. The young Zora king slumped a little bit at the knight's flaming gaze, a little frightened; but he quickly regained his position.

"You are quite set upon this, aren't you?" The king sighed, crossing his arms. "What if they reach it first, hm? What then?"

"Well, if all goes according to plan, they will not live to even begin to seek it," Link replied confidently, and with a twinge of anger. His head turned downwards to the floor. "If they have done anything to the princess, their death with be less then swift."

Ralis looked upon the hero, concerned. He placed a hand on Link's shoulder. "I would beware of revenge my friend. It may look tempting and rewarding, but it will lead to nothing but regret and more heartbreak, I assure you."

Link sighed, calming himself and nodding. "Yes," He smiled, placing a hand on Ralis' shoulder in return. "You are wise beyond your years, King Ralis. I thank you." He turned around, adjusting his left brace over his arm and securing it. He stopped his motion for a moment, turning his head over his shoulder a bit toward the zora king. "There is something I must ask of you, sire; a favor of sorts."

"And what is that?" The young zora king asked, his arms crossed.

"If…" Link hesitated, "Well… Keep my life a secret." Ralis granted a confused look to fall across his face, rather surprised.

"What do you mean by that, Link?"

"If anyone comes looking for me," he replied, "tell them I am dead." Ralis stared at the young Hylian man, thoughts of sorrow entering his mind

"Link, why? Do you not realize how upset the people would be?" Ralis asked dumbfounded. Link chuckled at the young king, shaking his head.

"Surely, Hyrule would not grieve over the death of one man," Link replied, true belief coming from his voice. Ralis looked at the hero, his sympathy pouring through his gaze. Ralis opened his mouth as if to argue, but closed it just as quickly. It was a moment before he spoke.

"So… if anyone comes looking for you, anyone at all, we must say you are dead?" Ralis asked sorrowfully, making sure.

"Yes," Link replied placing his hand on the young king's shoulder. "You must promise me this." Ralis thought for a moment before reluctantly nodding.

"I promise…" He replied. Link smiled at the Zora King, relief flooding over him.

"Thank you. This will make my task much easier," he mentioned, smiling, "You will see." The Zora King nodded, leaving the room with a despondent concern, whispering to himself.

"I hope you realize," he said under his breath, "just how much you mean to us…"

Hyrule Field was a white moorland across the way. The sky was filled with dark clouds, as promise of a storm was imminent. The air was freezing and unforgiving against the Hylian man that stood upon the new fallen snow, the wind blowing briskly across his face. The bare trees gave the gloomy feel of the task at hand an even more stark difference in mood from the other day.

How did this happen so suddenly? Link thought, staring out into the deep tundra that awaited him. It seems that a warning is too much trouble for fate, eh? Link let out a sigh as he ran further, his partner at his side.

Elgrin kept up the pace with the Hylian Knight, giving a glance to him every now and then. He was running quite fast for someone who had suffered such injuries, as if nothing had happened at all. Link held his traveling cloak over his face to keep out the cold air as he bounded across the frosty terrain. As a Zora, Elgrin was quite used to the frigid air, but Link on the other hand… he tended to push himself too far. The Zora was worried.

"Um… hey man, do you think we should slow down a bit? It probably isn't a good idea for you to be running like that," he mentioned, keeping close to the Knight's side.

"I've gone through worse temperatures, believe me," Link grunted back, a large huff following. Link looked to the sky, now near black from the ominous clouds up ahead. The young man knitted his eyebrows in frustration. "Always has to be something, doesn't it?" he asked, more to himself then to the Zora man running beside him.

"Seems that way. Looks like a blizzard ahead," Elgrin noted, nodding his head toward the looming clouds above them. Suddenly, a flash of lightning zoomed across the sky, landing next to them closely. The ground seemed to make a crack of a noise as they jumped away, breathing heavily from the shock. Link landed on the ground, a good way away from the site, holding his hands over his heart and his eyes open wide.

"What the…" He managed to breathe, before another struck around them, nearly striking Elgrin. The Zorain man leaped out of the way at the last moment, feeling a little shock from the strike. Elgrin looked up wide eyed in the snow.

"I have no idea…" Elgrin muttered, rising out of the snow slowly. Link stood as well, looking to the sky as his breath puffed into the sky. He knitted his eyebrows together in confusion as he thought. He looked around a bit. There was nothing there that would attract that much lightning, so why were they being assaulted by it? He barely had a moment to think as another flash of light hit the ground below, melting the snow around it. Link rolled out of the way urgently, sliding to a halt a few feet away from the strike.

"Man, this isn't normal," Elgrin mentioned frantically, looking to the sky in the case of another blow. Link eyed the sky suspiciously, watching the grey clouds turn black as they rolled across Hyrule.

Link shook his head at the sky. It was almost as if it were taunting him.

"No, Elgrin it isn't. These clouds are not natural," he said, backing away from the clouds subconsciously.

"Well, I think I caught that, still it's probably a good idea to, you know, leave," Elgrin said, beginning to run. However, when the Zora looked back, he saw Link running the other way. "What in blue blazes are you doing?" Elgrin shouted, stopping in his tracks, "I'm going to regret this later…" the Zora grumbled, running after his friend. In doing this, he was almost zapped again, and he barely dodged out of the way.

"I'd run faster, if I were you," Link called from behind. Elgrin shook his head in defeat, looking to his left. A large cavern was made into the large stone wall beside them.

"Link, In here!" Quickly, Elgrin dashed into it, barely escaping another strike, followed by the Hylian knight. Link had a look of disdain on his face. Elgrin looked at him worriedly.

"You all right, man?" Elgrin asked.

Link's hand was placed on his right shoulder, gripping it in pain.

"I'm fine. My right shoulder does this sometimes… More often than not, as of late," the Hylian replied, looking outside the cave, as if the storm would follow him. Elgrin looked out to the sky as much as he could from the great cavern.

"Didn't even know blizzards could have lightning…" Elgrin mumbled curiously. Link shook his head, gripping his shoulder tighter.

"Not normally. It is possible, but unlikely. But this is not natural, let me assure you," Link explained.

"Do you know what it was?"

"Not… sure…" Link trailed off, deep in thought, holding his hand to his chin, "I've never seen anything like it. Only thing I can think of is magic… And that would mean…"

"Someone's after us," Elgrin finished. Link nodded.

"But who? Ganondorf is dead, only remaining minions are a few wandering goblins, and none of them could use magic without some sort of… help…"

A revelation came to Link. What if he had underestimated the goblins? They had almost killed him last time, but that was just because one of them was particularly clever, right? But what if there was a greater master above them? What if they were not alone?

"Help…that's it! Something stronger is helping them."

"Who?"

"No idea…" Link sighed, leaning against the cave wall. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, watching the water drip off of the icy stalactites.

"Well, that's helpful…" Elgrin mumbled.

Link looked back at the Zora, an eyebrow raised.

"If you have a better guess, please, by all means; enlighten me," Link replied, a little aggravated. Elgrin just slumped a little and stayed quiet.

The Hylian looked outside the cave, seeing the blizzard die down quickly.

"Come on. We need to move on. If there really is something after us, the princess is way too close to it for comfort," he mentioned, wincing when he got up and moving out of the cave quickly.

"What exactly is it that we're looking for?" Elgrin asked. Link looked back with a smirk.

"Grass," he said simply digging through a small patch of snow. Elgrin, for the tenth time that day, looked at the knight as if he had a chuchu on his head, sucking out the man's brain.

"Are you serious?" The zora crossed his arms and walked up to him. He was sure Link had finally lost it.

"Mm-hmn," Link hummed in response, picking up a piece of grass in the shape of a "U." He found the small hole in the middle and blew as a melodious song of descending notes echoed across the field for miles. Link crossed his arms, looked out into the distance, and waited. Now the zora was completely sure the knight had gone crazy.

"We came all the way out here… to play a song… on a piece of grass?"

"Just wait for it," Link said smugly, smiling and continuing to look out across the large field. Elgrin stood beside his friend, disbelieving. But then, he heard something; a strange clomping sound in the distance. Link's smirk grew wider as he heard the noise and walked forward closer to the noise. Soon, a large mare galloped towards him, giving the knight a nuzzle when she saw her owner was alive. Link laughed and patted her nose lovingly. "Yes, girl, I'm fine." He continued to console the mare in words Elgrin did not understand; some other language. Upon seeing the horse, Elgrin's hands fell to his sides and he simply looked at the duo.

"Oh… Well that makes sense," the Zora muttered. Link laughed lightly, moving over to the mare's saddle bags. Sitting upon them were two things desperately needed to finish the mission; a sword and a shield. Link picked up the sword and looked at the silver blade. The hilt was green, a silver phoenix body embossed on it, wrapping around. Link placed it in the hilt, finishing the piece with the silver phoenix head with an emerald for an eye. He placed the sword on his back, along with his Hylian shield.

"Nice sword," the Zora said, eyeing the blade with interest.

Link nodded once in response.

"I actually wish it were less elaborate. It could draw… unwanted attention," Link replied, looking back at the sword, smiling nonetheless. "However, it was a gift, and it is well forged. I would be a fool not to use it."

"A gift from whom, the princess?" Elgrin asked with a smirk on his face, expecting Link to take to the teasing. However, he just ignored the fish-man, mounting his horse quickly and riding off. Elgrin looked at the Hylian dumbfounded for a moment before running after him.

"H-hey! You're forgetting someone!"

Link laughed and slowed to a trot. "I'd look behind you," Link mentioned, waving his hand over his shoulder and riding off again.

Elgrin did as he was told and found a white stallion behind him, bearing the crest of the Royal Family. Epona stopped and waited for Elgrin as the Zora mounted the horse and rode beside him. Link looked down, his eyes settling on his mare's mane sadly.

"I didn't know you had two horses," Elgrin mentioned, giving the white stallion a pat. The smile on Elgrin's face faded as he looked at the hero.

"This one isn't yours, is it?" the Zora asked slowly.

Link shook his head a little, almost completely still as he spoke.

"No, Néal is not mine. He belongs to the Princess."

There was a moment of silence. Elgrin opened his mouth many times as if to say something, but he couldn't find the right words. It was then that Link rode off to the East, quicker than the wind. Elgrin soon followed, desperately trying to keep up with the knight, but he easily was slipping behind.

Link ran faster and faster. Where he was going, he did not know, he just knew that he had a feeling. His thoughts were everywhere at once. What terrible thing could she be enduring? Was he already too late? And the thing that was after them, was it after the Princess as well?

_I will find you. If it_ kills_ me I will find you. Wait for me Zelda, I'm coming for you… just hold on._

Zelda awoke but her eyes did not open. She did not dare open her eyes. She was afraid of where she was, what the goblins could be doing to her at this very moment. She didn't have the strength to fight back anymore, but how could she not? The goblins could be wreaking havoc amongst the towns right now; her kingdom. So what could she tell without opening her eyes?

She could tell she was moving quickly, as if riding on something. Her arms were tied back together again, wrapped around something and holding up her weight. She took a deep breath, becoming brave and opened her eyes, but there was nothing.

There was nothing but a dark space in front of her. Her heart raced as she thought of what possibilities there could be. At first she thought that the goblins very well may have blinded her, taken her eyes for some punishment for trying to escape. But that thought was eased by the fact that there was no pain to her eyes. She simply could not see. She moved her head a little and felt something slide across her eyes. She took a silent sigh of relief.

She was simply blindfolded. However, now that she was awaking fully, she could begin to feel searing pain in her arms where they were tied. The pain was just terrible, like the ropes were a blunt knife being shoved into her skin. She felt one of her hands with another, noticing that there was nothing but pain and she winced, both hands hurting desperately. The memory of her escape attempt returned to her suddenly. She was burned. Badly. She was honestly surprised that she could feel anything at all in her arms. She almost wished she couldn't. She heard the sound of a whisper.

"Pretty Lady awake?" the voice said. She recognized it as a moblin, and there was only one that called her "pretty lady." Crul seemed to be the only one in this place she could remotely trust, so she was glad he was the one guarding her for the time being.

"Yes." she whispered back. "Where are we?"

"Faron Woods…" Crul whispered back, "I no like it here."

Zelda had never been to Faron Woods. She only knew that is was close to where Ordon was. Something came across her mind. If they got what they needed, which was Link's blood… why did they still need her?

"Crul, why do the goblins keep me alive? What is the point?" she asked.

"Magic man say we need you for somethin'. No tell what." Crul mentioned.

"Magic man?" Zelda felt Crul nod to her inquiry.

"Uh-huh…everyone else believe he master's friend. I no think so. I no think he friend of anyone… He give me bad feelin'."

Something was different about Crul from the other goblins. He spoke as if he had no choice but to follow orders, even after Ganondorf's death. It was simply not true.

"Crul," Zelda whispered, "Why do you follow these people? If they truly frighten you and make you wary, then why do you stay here?"

"Crul no know. Crul has to."

"No, you don't. Crul, do I scare you?"

"No."

"Then come with me; escape with me." Crul was silent for a moment as he thought.

"But Crul moblin…"

"I don't care what race you are, Crul. Everyone should have a choice."

Crul took a breath to reply, but he was interrupted.

Suddenly, they halted to a stop, the sound of feet running halting quickly. She heard the voices of her captors whispering curiously.

"Who be this freaks, anyhow?" She heard one ask, a little louder than the others, "What d' we owe him that we 'ave t' listen to him?"

_Him?_ she thought. Was there more to the goblins than she thought? She did find it odd that there were so few of the goblins around. Though they were stupid, they knew better to challenge the throne of Hyrule with so few soldiers on their side.

"You better shut it," another whispered back urgently, "Heard he be a wizard, an' a powerful one at that."

Zelda nearly gasped. That's impossible…

"You're bluffin'. Ain't no way he can be a wizard. They ain't been seen for a thousn' years," another said, a bit fearfully.

"All o' ya, shut yer yap!" A voice called angrily, recognized as Shriver. "We're here."

A slight popping sound rang through the area, and Zelda heard some gasps come from the goblins around her. She was dying to know what was happening around her; this blindfold was getting on her last nerve.

"Welcome, all of you, fellow servants to the…'master,'" a new voice sounded. His voice was smooth and inviting, but something about it made Zelda cringe in the strangest way. This man also struck fear into her soul without even trying. "Shriver, you have done well to lead these fine men of yours to the hero's doom. Have you the bottle?" Zelda gritted her teeth at the mention of the hero's doom.

_Like it's some sort of wonderful accomplishment…_ she thought.

"Aye, m'lord," Shriver said. Zelda heard a shuffling of feet for a moment.

"Thank you," The strange voice said, "This is a grand day, friends! Today marks the beginning of bringing back the great master! And not only did you take care of the hero…you brought us something even more precious."

Zelda heard footsteps come her way. Her heart pounded and she went limp, to act as though asleep. Perhaps they would not notice her as much if she stayed still. However, her plan was foiled, as she felt herself being taken off whatever it was she was hanging off of.

"No fooling us, darling," The strange voice said. She was set on the ground sitting on something; she guessed it to be a rock. Something pulled hard on her head, and she could see the world around her. She suddenly wished she hadn't.

They were in a strange wood to which she had never been. The trees seemed twisted and mangled. She couldn't tell if it was day or night, for the treetops were so thick it blocked all light from entry. The only thing giving off any light was a small fire. The thing that frightened her the most was a pair of dark, menacing, orange eyes staring back at her with a strange, evil, intent. The man with the orange eyes backed up a little, letting Zelda see the rest of him. He had a cloak over his face, but she could see the eyes glowing from beneath it. She could see that his cloak was red, and embroidered with gold. The gold thread made an odd pattern of which Zelda had never seen before. It was not Hylian, nor any other race she had ever seen. His hands looked made of leather, somehow, and black nails as long as claws came from his hands.

"What do you want with me?" Zelda seethed, not even trying to hide her anger; here, there was no need to.

"Oh, you, darling… you are the key ingredient," The wizard replied, with a smile in his voice. A twisted, cynical smile, that is. Zelda had a confused look on her face.

"Do you not know what 'Hero's Blood' is for, darling? Do you not know who you are?"

_I know that I'm the person who is going to shoving my shoe where the sun doesn't shine, if you call me 'darling' one more time,_ she thought, but she recognized now was most likely not the time to make a comment like that. It would be unwise.

"What are you talking about, wizard?" she snapped. "What is the meaning of all this?" Her glare at this man was like an ice tipped spear. The man simply laughed.

"This is hilarious. You don't even know who you are, **_Hylia_**." Zelda was shocked. What had he just called her? He must have meant Hylian. "Do you know who your ancestor was, darling?"

"Why must I answer you?" She retorted, glaring at the man.

"Well, do you know or not?"

"The first King and Queen of Hyrule." She answered quietly and simply. The wizard laughed again.

"Maybe it is best you do not know. You will be less trouble that way," He chuckled, motioning at the others. "We will need to prepare the place where our Master will rise."

He said 'master' in a strange way. Almost mockingly.

"The place must be cleared. If anyone is in your way, kill them. In fact-" here, he gave a blood curdling chuckle, "-the more blood the better…"

The goblins cheered in response, as Zelda was repulsed.

"Good then, we strike at nightfall!"

Zelda wasn't sure what this all meant, but she knew that people, her people, were going to die. It tore her apart, and a tear fell from her eye. She had failed her people, now. Just as she did before.

Zelda gasped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Crul with a finger to his mouth.

"Shhh. Crul has idea." The moblin whispered, kneeling to her height. "We leave tonight, before attack on village."

"You will come with me..." Zelda asked, a weary smile showing a twinge of excitement. Crul nodded in response.

"Crul helps friends, and…" Crul sighed, a determined look appearing on his face. It was strange to see such a look on a moblin, but Crul was different. "Crul no want to be scared anymore."

**So, what do you think? Hit that nice little Review button :D**


	6. Sacrifices

**Hey, all! It's been a while. So, I finally finished Chapter 6! Enjoy!**

The goblins stood on the edge of the small town known as Ordon. It was not far from Faron woods, nearly a five minute's walk. Zelda walked behind Crul, her binds now chains due to the escape attempt two nights before. They felt cold and heavy on her burned wrists. The cold wind was not helping either. To put it simply, when the winter's breeze blew, it felt like salt grains flew with the wind. She winced as it blew harder, but made no audible noise. Zelda looked around her surroundings.

First, she kept her captors in sight. The goblins were sharpening their swords and stretching their bows. Zelda shuddered at the thought of what they were preparing their weapons. It was for the slaughter, and she was letting them do it. She turned her gaze to the 'magic man.' He was pacing, his deep, dark crimson cloak trailing after him like a wind of bloody smoke. That is the essence the wizard gave. Blood and death. The wizard seemed frustrated and was mumbling something under his breath. Zelda could not for the life of her figure out what it was. It was in some distant, ancient sounding language. She caught something that sounded like the Hylian word for storm, but it was choppy and angry. Above his head she thought she could see storm clouds, lightning strikes falling from it. She looked away. Zelda never was the biggest fan of storms.

Zelda looked down to the town. They were on the south side of the village, looking down from the hilly terrain. The small village was having a peaceful night. A small child was chasing one of the cuccos into the house, and a mother stood by the door and ushered him into his warm home. Small lanterns were lit on the outside of the houses, giving the night a warm glow. The small pond was frozen from the winter, and a snowman was made on the banks of the water. It was so… _peaceful_. Zelda felt a large hand on her shoulder. She turned her head with a gasp, feeling startled.

"Pretty Lady, we go. Is perfect time," Crul said, his voice low so no one around could hear. Zelda looked at the moblin, then back to the village once again.

"Now?" she inquired, still looking upon the village. She looked like she might be sick. Crul looked at her worriedly and nodded.

"Pretty Lady okay?" Crul asked. Zelda shook her head slightly, her eyes still fixed on the small town.

_If I leave now… all of these people will die… _my_ people will die._ Zelda thought.

"I… Crul, I can't…" She whispered back, shaking her head harder. She took a step towards the village. Crul held her back.

"Pretty Lady no can go down there. Is bad," Crul told her quietly. Zelda's voice quivered.

"I have to… I can't abandon them," she breathed, taking more steps to the edge of the hill.

"Please, no. We must leave," Crul begged at a whisper.

But it was to no avail. Zelda started sprinting toward the village. She was all the way down the hill before the rest of the party saw her.

"_Get 'er!" _Exclaimed a bokoblin, _"She'll blow our cover!_" And sure enough, she did. She screamed at the top of her lungs, as loud as her voice could carry.

"_Run! Get out!"_

Sure enough, many of the people stuck their heads out the door. Murmurs coming from the houses as they all gathered outside in the middle of the small town. Meanwhile the goblins were running toward the village.

"You have mere_ seconds_! You must leave! _Now_!" Zelda begged, now near tears.

She began to gather all the children she could, shooing them and telling them to run. They were her first priority. One could not run quickly, so she handed the little boy to another girl a little younger then herself. She seemed to be the eldest of any of the children.

"Take them to Castle Town, and ask for Telma. If she asks any questions, tell her Zelda sent you." She told the girl. The girl nodded and voiced her greatest thanks as she began to take the children and run.

The villagers grabbed pitchforks, swords, anything they had on them. It was not a fair fight, but they had to try. One of the villagers, a very large man with short legs, went hand to hand with one of the moblins, pushing the creature to the ground. But the moblin was armed, and the large man was stabbed in the chest, and fell to the ground. The goblins had somehow grown in number, and were now setting fire to the town. Zelda's eyes grew in fear.

_I was too late, _she thought sadly.

The villagers were being overrun. The bodies around her were building steadily. She looked around frantically, seeing the burning village, there was no place still untouched. Everything was burning. She ran behind a large stone, using a small ax around some firewood to cut her binds on her hands. Once she was free, she tried to grab the ax as a weapon, but it wouldn't budge from the wood. She grabbed a small rock, instead, and took it in her hands firmly, holding the pointed end. She saw one Bokoblin close enough to attack. She gathered her courage.

"For my people!" she screamed, jumping on the back of the bokoblin she knew as Shriver.

He jumped at the weight on his back, and tried to shake Zelda off of his back fiercely. She did her best to hold on to the bokoblin. As he shook forward, she flew off his back onto the ground. She got up as fast as she could, facing the goblin with a strong will. Her breath was heaving and she had landed on her burnt arm, but she showed no weakness.

"Bad choice, missy. Aren't you supposed to be wise, or somethin'?" Shriver said, pulling out a ragged sword.

The tip looked rather sharp. Zelda's breathe quickened. She simply held up her rock, sharp end toward Shriver. The goblin just laughed.

"What are ya gonna do with that?" Shriver cackled. The bokoblin swung at Zelda. If she hadn't moved, he would have taken her leg off; but as she moved back, her thigh was only given a rather large cut. She held back a scream, concentrating on Shriver. She didn't have time to be distracted by minor injuries. Shriver swung once again, but this time, she jumped back in time.

"Yer a lil' quicker than I thought ya'd be," Shriver complained. He smirked, for a moment and threw his sword at Zelda. Zelda gasped and tried to move out of the way, but the injury on her leg was failing her. She screamed as the sword became imbedded in her shoulder, and her hand flew up to the wound, blood beginning to flow from it onto her dress. The old bokoblin cackled at her, throwing his head back in laughter. He was distracted. This was her chance. Zelda gritted her teeth and threw the rock at the goblin's temple, and he fell over instantly, his laughter ceasing. Zelda backed up and caught her breath, taking in the moment fearfully as she saw the blood pool beneath the Bokoblin's head. She was shaking, but she did not realize that.

Zelda began to limp to another area. She knew she was too wounded to do any good now. Out of the blue, Crul grabbed the princess, and began to run with her out of the clearing.

"Crul, what are you doing?" The princess exclaimed, but Crul did not stop. He was running faster and faster toward the forest.

"Must leave! Too dangerous," Crul exclaimed, fear in his voice. Crul nearly tripped over a stump, but quickly regained balance, and continued his pace. His breath was quickening and Zelda heard grunts from over the moblin's shoulder. _'When will this nightmare ever end?'_ she thought, tears forming in her eyes. Zelda heard screams of goblins and people from behind her. They echoed in her head like a shriek in an empty cave, only it got louder by the second.

Crul stopped abruptly, listening. Surely, over the moblin's shoulder, footsteps and goblin grunts could be heard.

"Wer' ye going so fast, girly?" One chuckled in the distance. A scream followed soon after, along with the whimpers of frightened children. Zelda looked to Crul pleadingly. It was a simple look, but it communicated her plea perfectly. Crul set Zelda down on the ground carefully.

"I find you." He said. "I find my friend." Zelda made the smallest of smiles to the moblin, and gave him a short nod. He turned quickly to the sound of the screams. The large goblin looked over his shoulder with a worried face at Zelda. "Run!" He said. Zelda nodded and ran toward the entrance of the forest, but her leg was worsening.

'_Keep going,'_ she told herself, _'Persevere. You will _not_ die here.'_ She ran as fast as she could, her breathing getting heavier and staggered. She stopped for the slightest moment to catch her breath, but instead she held it. She could hear something coming from up ahead. It sounded familiar, like hoof steps in the snow. Zelda looked up out of curiosity when the sound got so very close. She could see a shadow of many horses in the darkness. She tried to run, however, she had lost too much blood, and her vision was becoming hazy, her actions slowed. Before the princess could blink an eye, fire came in front of her. The princess of Hyrule let out the most bloodcurdling of screams when it came in contact with her skin.

Link stared at the fire, poking it with a stick every now and then. His noisy counterpart was snoring in the late night, but Link simply could not sleep. His mind was racing, and his heart was pounding in his chest.

_Why couldn't they just leave her alone?_ He thought, _It was me they wanted anyways, wasn't it?_ Zelda was somewhere in the wilderness of the countryside, and Link had no idea where to start looking. Hyrule Field was expansive, and he had just headed south-west on a hunch; nothing more. Link sighed quietly. He poked the fire again, releasing more burning particles into the air.

Looking at them made him feel relaxed somehow. The tiny particles or, as he had once heard Colin call them, fire fairies were so free and light. But they were short lived and burned quickly. They never lasted long. Staring at the fire had made Link's eyes burn slightly. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, even though he knew sleep would not find him any time soon.

Then, Link smelled smoke. It was not a foliage smell like the fire, no. This smelled sweet like honey, and a strange mixture of pumpkin and…

_Is that… goat?_ Link thought. He snapped his eyes open and he gasped. _That smell… I know that smell! _

"Elgrin! Elgrin _Wake up!_" Link exclaimed, shaking the zora awake fiercely.

"Hm? What? I'm up," Elgrin replied drowsily, sitting up slowly. He looked at Link with one eye open. His face was brimmed with concern and his eyes were wide. The zora could almost _hear_ Link's heart pounding.

"We need to go. _Now,"_ Link replied, his voice shaking a little, but still stern. He was looking off to the southeast. Elgrin looked in the same direction, in order to see the commotion. All he could see was a big cloud of smoke.

"What? Is someone after us?" Elgrin asked seriously. Link shook his head and stood, grabbing his sword and placing it on his back.

"No, something to the south is burning. I need to know what it is." The hero replied. Elgrin looked to the south, still half asleep.

"Link, that could be anything. Maybe a farmer has a tobacco crop or something." The zora replied rolling over and closing his eyes. He was greeted with another, even more vicious shake.

"I doubt that, Elgrin. Up." Link ordered. Elgrin sighed and got up, realizing that Link was going to leave him if he did not. He gruffly sighed and stood, grumbling incoherently about his lack of sleep. Before Elgrin was even on his feet, Link had already stomped out the fire and hurriedly placed his belongings in Epona's saddlebags. Elgrin had to find himself quickly, and mounted Néal clumsily. Link didn't even look back before mounting Epona from behind, already taking off at lightning speed.

It had been a two day's ride. The fire from the south had dwindled down to only a small smoke and a fume to go by. Much to Elgrin's disdain, Link would only stop to give the horses rest and drink, and even then, he proceeded with the horses trotting behind him. They, more so Elgrin, ate on the run. Elgrin had no inclination in his mind why Link would not stop. After Link was so set on finding the Princess, he simply turned his attention to this smoke and odd smell. Elgrin figured as they approached the forest, Link would find that the fire was only a forest fire of some sort. As they set closer to the forest however, Link just became less and less composed. The smell from before had become more pungent, and Link kept on.

Finally, they had made their way to Ordon. Smoke rised from the town and Elgrin covered his nose at the stench. It smelled of burnt, rotting meat of some sort. Link stopped Epona at a tree house that was recognized to be his own. Worried and shaking, He dismounted Epona and slowly found his way to the pathway into Ordon. Elgrin saw his friend's face, an expression of pure horror and disbelief, and understood. This was the hero's home. Before Link could make it to the pathway, he came to a standstill, frightened, truly frightened of what he might see. Elgrin came next to the hero, placing a hand on his shoulder and gave a small, comforting nod to his friend. This was not the time for words. Link walked onward at a steady pace, his face unreadable. His walk, however, evolved into a run and then a sprint into the town. Elgrin followed but when he reached the place, he could no longer hear footsteps.

Link had frozen at the sight, not even breathing. Elgrin looked to his friend's disbelieving and grieving composure; confused, Elgrin looked to the 'town.' Elgrin's jaw dropped. He had seen many disturbing things in his lifetime, but nothing like this.

It was a massacre.

Link felt as though his heart had stopped beating. His eyes grew wide to take in what he saw. The soft grass that many times Link had placed his head for a nap had been charred and turned brown, speckled with an identifiable crimson. Any white snow had been melted or covered in a black ash. Link stared at the houses, now near nonexistent. They were now just black piles of unidentifiable rubble and cinders. He began to move his feet slowly, still not knowing of his beating heart or breathing lungs. As he walked through his hometown, he identified the places that were once comforting and green; now they were grey and horrifying. What was worse was the fact that he could now identify the bodies lying on the ground in bloody, burnt heaps. He identified a black and charred mass of tissue lying beside the mayor's house. _Bo…_ Ilia would be destroyed inside; hopefully she was not here in a stack of cinders as well. Link thanked the Goddesses he did not see her. But his heart stopped again at the others he did see on the ground. Bo, Fado, Beth's parents Sera and Hanch, Jaggle… All of them were just… gone.

Forever.

Link heard a groan in pain across the village, and instinctively ran to the sound. At first he could not locate the exact place it was coming from. His heart raced. Someone was alive. He _needed_ someone to be alive. He looked around desperately, and the groan came again from the far corner of the village, near Uli and Rusl's house. Link broke into a sprint towards the pile of rubble.

"Uli!" He yelled urgently. Another groan that sounded a bit like his name came from under the rubble. He yelled her name again, to be sure where she was lying. Another grumble from the cinders spoke, this time, much more clearly.

"Link…" was heard definitively and weakly. Link ran to the stack of cinders and began to dig, pulling up large rocks and blocks out from the rubble, moving much faster then he thought possible. He came to a pair of blue eyes under a inch of soot. It was a woman who then began to cough violently, leaving a bit of blood on her black covered chin. Link quickly held the woman in his arms, supporting her head.

"Uli…" He muttered. Uli smiled as much as she could in her weak state, ever so slightly the corners of her mouth turned up.

"Y…you… came back…" she said breathily, 'I-I thought that… you had left us." Link shook his head, wiping some of the grime from her face.

"I would never leave my family." He declared fervently. "Now, I need to get you up. If I ride quickly, I can reach Renado. He will kno-"

"No, Link." Uli interrupted. Link eyes widened, not understanding.

"Of course he will, Uli. I've seen the man do some amazing things with medicine." Uli gave the smallest shake of her head, and the corners of her reddened mouth turned upward into a tiny smile. She reached up to Link's face as much as she could, her weak arm not wanting to keep it up.

"M… My boy, would you please… look at… me." Link's cerulean orbs delved deep into Uli's eyes. "Listen now… You cannot save me." She stated. Link shook his head and took in a shaky breath, raising his hand to cover Uli's.

"Don't say that." He whispered, "Please, don't say that…"

"D-do not worry… about me…" She rasped, "The children… made it out, you have to… have to find them." Link's eyes widened. Some made it out alive!

"Where? Where are they?" He asked frantically.

"The girl… who saved us…" she breathed, beginning to fade away, "Telma… I heard her say." Link's face contorted into confusion and grief.

"The girl?"

"She… she came down from the hills… and warned us. She saved lives…" Uli said, coming back from the blackness she was fading into ever so slightly. "Then… I heard her scream. If… she lived… I know not." Uli's hand began to go limp from Link's face. Link grabbed it, protecting it from falling.

"Please, Uli, stay with me, I beg you." Link pleaded, holding the woman in his arms.

"Find them… Link…" She said, slipping back into the darkness, smiling so small, "Tell Colin I'm sorry, that I will not… be there. Tell Rusl I will wait for him… And I tell you… I… I love… you, son." Her hand became heavier to hold. It slipped out of Link's fingers and fell to the ground with a thump. Her smiling eyes faded, just simple pools of green now. There was nothing there, they just stared. Link shook his head, shivering. Uli was dead, with the rest. Link closed her eyes for her, letting her rest. His voice uttered to her, ancient and true, as he swiftly laid his lips on her forehead.

"Tá mo chroí istigh ionat, Máthair."*

Link finally noticed Elgrin shuffling behind him, trying to dig something out of the rubble nearest to the forest, distracted by something. Link placed Uli to the ground softly with a silent sob, letting her rest there, and began to trudge slowly to Elgrin and his discoveries.

"I found something," Elgrin said gravely. "It seemed…" He tried to place his words carefully, "different to what the rest of this place is like." Link silently stopped behind him.

"Show me." Link muttered quietly. Elgrin's voice cracked as he replied. It was obvious that Elgrin had also been on the verge of weeping at the sight of the village. Even if it was not his home, it still broke the zora's heart to see.

"Are you sure?" In all reality he wasn't, but Link nodded his head nonetheless. Elgrin turned and held something out to the Hylian, making a saddened and disgusted expression as he did so. Links eyes grew wide and unbelieving at the objects.

It all became clear. The girl that saved the children from the attack that Uli said heard screaming. She didn't make it out alive, there was no way; not with the remains presented to him. She sacrificed herself for what she could save of Link's hometown, this girl did; and Link knew exactly who it was as he looked upon the items.

A hand charred beyond recognition, the only identifiable thing being a tarnished silver ring with the royal crest upon it. The other was a golden, broken, and bloodied crown with a large, round sapphire set inside the middle. There were even a few brunette hairs stuck to the wretched thing. There was no doubt in the young man's mind. He uttered the name with such grief and anguish that even the birds of the forest stopped singing.

"Zelda…"

***In Irish/Gaelic l****iterally means, "My heart is with you, Mother." **

**Well, REVIEW PLEASE! This is sad, I know. I have a happy oneshot on the way to counteract. It will be up soon :) **

**~FaithoftheAir**


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